Hamburg set sights on Bojan

Hamburg have set their sights on former Barcelona wunderkind Bojan Krkic as a replacement for the outgoing Heung-Min Son.

Germany would be the third European country Bojan has played domestically in

South Korea international Son, 20, has so far refused to put pen to paper on a new deal with the Bundesliga club with Borussia Dortmund reportedly leading the chase for his signature.

“It’s a truism: If a player only has one year left on his contract the club tries to prolong with him – or they agree to part ways. No club wants a player to leave on a free, no club can allow itself to give away millions,” Hamburg chief executive Carl-Edgar Jarchow told Die Welt on Tuesday.

The Hamburg chief explained that while the club had offered Son a new four-year deal, the forward did not want to discuss his future for now. “He wants to wait for the end of the season and God knows what,” Jarchow is quoted as saying.

With German tabloids reporting that Borussia Dortmund have officially entered the race for the €10 million man, Hamburg have set their sights on Krkic, 22. He is currently on loan from Roma to AC Milan and has reportedly met with Hamburg general manager Frank Arnesen and Hamburg coach Thorsten Fink to discuss a potential deal.

“If he joins us, he will make us better. Every player with quality makes us better,” Hamburg captain Rafael van der Vaart told Hamburger Morgenpost. A 2009 Champions League winner with Barcelona, Bojan is not averse to joining a Bundesliga team, the paper reports following only five starts for Milan in Serie A this season.

NDR radio, meanwhile, reported that Hamburg are set to announce a record loss of up to €24 million for the 2012-2013 season. Despite spending big on the transfer market, Hamburg have all but lost the race for a berth in next year’s Europa League.